Author: Andrew

5 Tips for Hiring the Best Call Center

Posted on

September 14th, 2020

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Many growing businesses turn to call centers to handle the influx of customer service calls. This allows their employees to spend more time on providing specialized services or focusing on other, high-priority tasks. However, switching to a call center represents a significant change in company culture and employee responsibility so businesses need to make sure they contract with a call center that best meets their needs.

The following are some guiding principles for identifying top tier call centers:

  1. Make security a top priority. Many call centers have moved to the cloud for several reasons. It’s easier to install technology and render services that way. It’s also a good fit for businesses that have agents operating at multiple sites. However, companies will want to make sure their data is secure as well as investigate what redundancies and data recovery the call center offers in the event of a disaster.
  2. Look for compassion. Businesses need more than a person to answer a ringing phone. They need a friendly voice to help answer customers’ questions or resolve their issues. This is particularly important in the insurance industry when handling calls related to a loss. First notice of loss (FNOL) is the single greatest opportunity for securing customer satisfaction. Having a compassionate agent can help achieve that goal.
  3. Ensure a call center’s services align with business goals. Businesses should identify what they need from a call center and compare providers that meet their established criteria. Creating this short-list in advance saves time by avoiding interviews with providers that don’t offer the necessary services. This is particularly important for businesses that require special features like chat support or around the clock services.
  4. Meet with the call center. A provider may check every box from security to friendliness to specialty services and still fall short of the mark. Several providers may look good on paper, but businesses need to perform their due diligence by taking a tour of the call center’s facilities. If the call center’s leadership and management style differ vastly from a company’s culture, there could be significant clashes later.
  5. Determine how much location matters. Call centers can be offshore, nearshore, or onshore. Onshore call centers often have restrictions on hours of operation either due to time zones or expense. While offshore call centers are often cheaper, there can be a significant cultural divide that can cause friction between customers and the company. Nearshore call centers offer the best of both worlds by having similar cultural experiences and decent proximity for business meetings while providing enough distance to cover more hours of service.

Outsourcing calls gives companies a competitive edge for several reasons. For example, if one business has a customer service line and the other does not, potential customers are more likely to opt for the option they can call with their questions. Customers also prefer businesses that offer extended hours for customer service calls beyond the traditional 9:00 to 5:00. Contact the experts at Actec to learn how investing in a nearshore call center can improve your business.

4 Benefits of Mobile Absence Management Technology

Posted on

September 7th, 2020

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Keeping track of employee’s attendance is vital to the success of any business. Attendance is a significant indicator of the overall health of any company. Whether employees are consistently tardy, call out often without notice, or work well after closing time, they can cause a chain of events that derail the company’s goals. For example, employees that have frequent, unplanned absences affect workflow and can delay projects. Conversely, employees that clock 60-hour work weeks on a regular basis run the risk of burnout, which stymies productivity.

Tracking employee attendance is also vital for several other office functions including timely payroll, accurate enforcement of attendance and leave policies, and ensuring compliance with labor and leave laws. Implementing a mobile absence management solution can help improve attendance tracking in the following ways:

  1. Streamlines leave requests. Antiquated systems that require employees to contact their direct supervisor when they need to call out of work or submit leave requests are slow and faulty. This requires the manager to route the request to HR, which can rapidly become hectic and confusing with multiple departments to handle. With a mobile application, employees can log their unplanned leave when they’re sick or submit vacation requests all in one location. This simplifies the process, eliminates delays, and allows HR to see all relevant data in one convenient location.
  2. Reduces paperwork. Eliminating the paperwork element of submitting a leave request has several benefits. It saves time for employees and management as it reduces the need to print a document, fill it out by hand, walk it over to management for approval, etc. Submitting electronic requests removes this time-consuming process.
  3. Saves money. Reducing paperwork doesn’t only save time, it saves money as well. Employees and managers gain back the time they would have otherwise spent submitting and processing leave requests to focus on their main tasks instead. Mobile absence tracking can also identify trends like departments with frequent tardiness or an employee with questionable attendance. Pinpointing these issues allows employers to take action before these unwanted behaviors begin affecting employee morale, productivity, and profits.
  4. Simplifies scheduling. Managing leave requests for multiple departments, particularly when the requests come through several channels and sources, is a major challenge for HR and company management. Managers may approve leave requests based on incomplete calendars, which can cause issues for time-sensitive projects. By centralizing attendance, absences, and leave requests in one location, companies can reduce scheduling chaos and miscommunication.

With all the new challenges COVID-19 has created for businesses, tracking absences shouldn’t be one of them. Contact the experts at Actec to learn more about how our absence tracking mobile app can help your company.

5 Reasons Why You Need to Outsource Your Call Center

Posted on

August 24th, 2020

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Customer service is a significant element of any business regardless of industry. Providing superior customer service can help improve customer satisfaction, referrals, and a business’ bottom line. However, it’s not fiscally practical to have a full-time team of employees to handle all of these calls. Many customers call outside of normal business operations as well, which further complicates the issue. To address these challenges, many companies of all sizes are looking to call centers as a solution.

The following are some of the best advantages of hiring a call center:

  1. Reduced costs. Businesses can utilize call centers to handle all of their calls 24/7. To pay a full-time team of employees to work on-call is often astronomical in comparison.
  2. Better use of time. Not all businesses can afford or need a full-time employee to handle customer service calls. As a result, team members in various departments often rotate who handles incoming calls. By diverting customer service calls to a call center, those employees can focus on their primary job without interruptions.
  3. Around the clock service. Many call centers offer their services 24 hours a day or extended well outside of usual business hours all year round. This is particularly useful for industries like the insurance sector whose clients may require customer service at unusual hours following an accident or loss.
  4. Superior quality of service. Call center employees receive training on how to provide excellent customer service. They are able to provide knowledgeable answers to customers’ questions and concerns while remaining polite and professional.
  5. Actionable reports and data. Many call centers monitor calls to ensure the quality and for training purposes. They can use these reports to improve their employees’ skills as well as provide insights to the company on common pain points for customers.

Call centers can improve customer satisfaction, reduce business costs, and boost productivity. Opting for a nearshore call center can amplify these benefits. Nearshore call center employees are located in a similar geographic location, which eliminates cultural barriers. Contact the experts at Actec to learn how our nearshore call centers can help lower your costs, improve the customer experience, and more.

How to Track Employee Attendance During COVID-19

Posted on

August 17th, 2020

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Accurate timekeeping is a challenging but necessary task for businesses. Companies need to know when employees are absent to identify trends as well as remain compliant with federal leave laws. Without a centralized system, many employers have no idea if all of their employees came to work or not. Having an attendance system also allows businesses to process payroll in a timely manner, adhere to labor laws, calculate savings, and more.

COVID-19 has added a new layer of complexity to tracking absences as many businesses still have a fully or partially remote workforce. Having a mobile attendance system can help eliminate confusion and deliver a number of benefits. Some of the leading advantages of remote absence management technology include:

  1. Accurate and complete attendance hours. Without a mobile attendance system, employees have to call in anytime they need to take time off work. This often routes through their manager who then informs HR or via some other convoluted system. By having a streamlined absence tracking mobile app, employees can submit leave requests from their phones.
  2. Proof of regulatory compliance. Having an automated mobile solution for absence tracking allows businesses to show they comply with the numerous regulations that govern working hours and leave requests.
  3. Provides value to employees. Many businesses choose absence management systems that reduce costs or improve their bottom line. However, they should also keep their employees in mind when implementing new technology. Absence tracking mobile apps are self-service systems that remove the need for employees to contact HR or management about submitting leave requests. Many of these apps provide useful information to employees as well such as their accrued sick leave or remaining paid time off (PTO).
  4. Offers multiple channels to submit leave requests. The best absence tracking mobile apps offer multiple options for employees to submit leave requests to match their comfort level. Actec’s mobile app offers telephonic, text, chat, and mobile channels for submitting absence information.
  5. Identify absence trends. Without accurate absence tracking, businesses don’t have a clear picture of employee attendance. A mobile app provides clear data on absences and highlights trends such as absenteeism or frequent tardiness. The data can also show whether there is an absenteeism problem with an individual employee or a particular department. Knowing that information allows company leadership to choose the best approach to the problem.

COVID-19 forced many businesses to transition to a remote workforce. With little time to prepare, tracking absences and leave requests is more challenging than ever. Actec’s absence tracking mobile app is a simple, self-service tool that delivers absence notifications to a centralized location. Contact us to learn how we can help your business’ absence reporting needs.

4 Ways Chat Support Builds Trust in the Insurance Sector

Posted on

August 10th, 2020

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Today’s customers have a significantly different approach to purchasing insurance than customers a decade ago did. They’re more likely to shop around online and they expect superior customer service and products. They also place a premium on transparency, which has forced many insurance carriers to overhaul their processes to remain competitive.

One of the simplest methods insurance providers can take to build a positive rapport with their customers is to implement chat support. Having the ability to receive customer support through text or chat programs can provide the following benefits:

  1. Provide faster solutions. Customers who need help understanding their policy or a claim don’t have the patience to navigate a confusing website or phone tree. They need to find the answers to their questions quickly to gain peace of mind or resolve an unpleasant situation. Having access to chat support can provide timely information and superior service.
  2. Improves transparency. Many phone trees inform customers that the insurance provider records calls to improve customer service. However, it’s not often clear how those calls help the customer, particularly if they have to repeat themselves every time they call in about a claim. With a chat service, the insurance provider has a text log of the conversation. Providing customers with this exchange via email or their customer portal enhances transparency efforts and improves trust.
  3. Decreases average handling time. Chat support programs often allow customers and insurance representatives to upload images or screen share. This cuts down on confusion and can allow chat support to resolve a customer’s questions faster as visual aids are usually easier to understand than verbal instructions.
  4. Suggest relevant or complementary products. The average customer has a basic understanding of their insurance needs, but they may not be aware of risks and coverage gaps in their existing policies. Having chat support can allow insurance representatives to suggest different policies or additional coverage options based on the customer’s existing products and questions. For example, a customer may inquire if their renters’ policy covers jewelry loss due to a covered peril. While many policies do offer coverage for jewelry, it often caps at a certain dollar value. As a result, many insurance companies offer separate policies for valuable property such as engagement rings. These policies are usually inexpensive and providing customers with information can help them make informed decisions regarding their insurance.

Chat support is a rapid, effective means to assist customers as well as build better relationships with them. Contact the experts at Actec to learn more about implementing chat support.

Steps to Manage Employee Absenteeism During COVID-19

Posted on

August 3rd, 2020

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When a significant number of employees begin to call out of work or a single employee incurs an abnormal number of unscheduled absences, most businesses know their first step to rectifying the issue is to identify the cause. Stress outside of the workplace, unpleasant managers, and more can contribute to employee absenteeism. However, with COVID-19, businesses already know the why. The pandemic has changed everything about “business as usual” and absence management is no exception.

Companies can take the following actions to manage COVID-related absences in a compassionate, reasonable way:

  1. Update attendance policies. Businesses will need to create new guidelines that are fair to the staff as well as the company. Pre-COVID policies will fall short of reality and create confusion for employees. Most policies will likely require increased flexibility to allow employees to comply with self-quarantine guidelines should they fall ill or experience COVID-19 symptoms.
  2. Plan for absences. Unlike other forms of absenteeism, companies know with a reliable degree of certainty that COVID-19 will cause significant absences in the coming months. Staggering office workers’ schedules or cycling employees in rotating groups can help stop the spread of workplace illnesses. Hiring temporary workers can also help bridge the gap while employees stay home until they’re healthy.
  3. Consider long-term remote options. Several states began phased reopening procedures, which included bringing many employees back into an office setting. However, while some jobs can’t happen in a remote environment, many employees can remain productive from home. Businesses also need to consider that many employees are afraid of falling ill by returning to the office. Many others have children at home with no childcare options or high-risk family members living with them. For a variety of reasons, many employees may want and need the option to continue working from home.
  4. Track absences accurately. COVID-19 added a new layer of difficulty when it comes to keeping track of leave requests. With many employees still working either entirely or partially from home, keeping track of who is absent, tardy, or requesting paid leave is more challenging than ever. Investing in an absence management mobile app can give businesses the flexibility they need to keep absenteeism in check during these unusual times.

Actec understands the difficulties businesses are encountering due to COVID-19. Our absence tracking mobile app allows companies to capture all attendance data, receive absence notifications, and identify attendance trends. Contact us to learn how we can help your business manage employee absences through the pandemic and beyond.

4 Benefits of Nearshore Call Centers

Posted on

July 27th, 2020

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Many businesses are well aware of the benefits of a call center. For certain industries such as insurance, having a call center is a necessity to remain in business. Accidents rarely happen during business hours, and customers need to be able to file a claim when the loss occurs—not the following day when their insurance provider’s office opens. However, selecting the right kind of call center is critical to maintaining the company’s image as well as keeping customers happy.

Many people associate call centers with countries across the world, which is typically the case for offshore call centers. They may be based out of India, the Philippines, or many other international countries. Conversely, nearshore call centers are located in a similar geographic location to the business that hires them. Having a nearshore call center can reap the following benefits for businesses:

1.      Familiarity with culture. For businesses in the US, nearshore often means Mexico, Canada, or nearby islands. One of the biggest benefits to this is that these locations often have cultural overlap with US customers. This eliminates the struggles between cultural barriers, which can facilitate better service.

2.      Similar business hours. Nearshore call centers can offer extended business hours while still being reachable during a normal working day. For example, if a nearshore call center is three hours off from the business’ location, executives from both sides can find overlapping working hours to discuss business concerns.

3.      Improved proximity. When a company needs to conduct training or hold business meetings at a nearshore call center, executives can travel to the call center with minimal hassle. While nearshore call centers are a short flight away, many offshore call centers require lengthy flights that consume several days. Shorter flights and similar time zones also mean less jet lag for these business trips.

4.      Improved customer satisfaction. Many nearshore call centers only hire 100% bilingual employees to ensure there is no language barrier. However, given that a significant portion of the US speaks Spanish, having a bilingual nearshore call center based out of Mexico can help serve a wider range of customers. Having similar cultures helps in this area as well, as call center employees can better empathize with customers during a crisis.

Investing in a nearshore call center allows businesses to focus on their core skills rather than fielding customer phone calls. By freeing up that time, businesses can concentrate their attention and efforts on growing their company and improving their bottom line. Contact the experts at Actec to learn more about our nearshore call center solutions.

How Is COVID-19 Affecting Customer Satisfaction?

Posted on

July 20th, 2020

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Many insurance providers are experiencing a crisis of trust among their customers. In an industry where trust and competency are everything, many insurers are coming up short on both in their customers’ eyes. With massive business interruptions and even more denied claims due to pandemic clauses, COVID-19 has left many businesses and their insurance providers without many options.

It’s no surprise that the customer’s experience is now the top priority for many insurance providers. Even before COVID-19, many industry experts reported that customer satisfaction would be a key factor in growth opportunities. With the pandemic putting a microscope on customer pain points, insurance providers can improve their customers’ overall experience in the following ways:

  1. Embrace digital interactions. Insurance providers already know they need an online portal and a mobile app at a minimum in their efforts to go digital. However, many have failed to keep pace with customer expectations, which haven’t changed following the pandemic. Customers want to be able to access their bills, policy details, and more whenever and wherever they may be while still having the option to speak with a representative about issues that are more complex. Insurance carriers need to ensure the service they provide is consistent regardless of how the insured initiates contact.
  2. Simplify the experience. Insureds are more stressed than ever due to COVID-19. Whether they are using a mobile app or browsing their insurance provider’s website, they want to be able to find what they’re looking for with ease. Their tolerance for confusing apps and websites is at an all-time low. If an insurance provider’s website isn’t intuitive, it will only aggravate customers during an already hectic time.
  3. Provide customizable products and solutions. Insureds are trying to strike the balance between keeping their premiums as low as possible without leaving themselves vulnerable to risk. A potential solution growing in popularity is limiting coverage to only when insureds need it. This reduces their overall premiums without increasing their risk profile. For example, a business or homeowner near the coast needs flood insurance due to hurricanes. However, hurricane season only spans from May through November. Some insured may prefer to only enable coverage during the months that the risk of flooding is high to keep their premiums down.
  4. Be available. Covered incidents don’t usually do the insured the favor of occurring during regular business hours. Similarly, many insureds have urgent questions that may not be able to wait until normal office hours. Providing a chat or text service that allows insureds to get answers to their questions regarding their claim status, coverage, and more can improve the customer experience overall.

Actec understands the challenges insurance providers are experiencing in the wake of COVID-19. That’s why we strive to provide top-notch solutions to help you meet your customer’s needs. Contact us to learn more about implementing text and chat support to improve customer satisfaction.

How to Keep Your Remote Workforce Healthy During COVID-19

Posted on

July 13th, 2020

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With several states seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases, many businesses are opting to have their employees continue working from home. However, while working from home has significantly fewer risk factors for spreading COVID-19 than working in an office setting does, it’s not guaranteed employees won’t become sick.

Common Risk Factors in Employees Homes

Even if a company’s employees are telecommuting, this doesn’t mean the rest of their households are as well. Spouses or adult children still living at home may have jobs that don’t allow them to telecommute. These individuals may bring illness home with them (COVID-19 or otherwise) that then may infect remote workers. Telecommuting employees still need to go out as well to pick up groceries, prescriptions, and more, which increases their risk profile of contracting COVID-19.

4 Steps to Keep Remote Employees Healthy

Employers should encourage their employees to utilize the following best practices to stay as healthy as possible during the pandemic:

  1. Sterilize common household surfaces. Alcohol is the great equalizer when it comes to viruses. With the proper application and concentration, employees can kill 99.99% of germs lingering on surfaces everyone touches. This can help prevent the accidental surface spread of illnesses among household members. The most effective alcohol-based cleaners have a concentration of at least 70% alcohol.
  2. Condense grocery trips whenever possible. Prior to COVID-19, making a quick trip to the store for a forgotten item didn’t pose major health risks. Now, unnecessary exposure in crowded places increases the likelihood of falling ill. Utilizing grocery pickup or delivery services can significantly curtail this source of exposure.
  3. Wear a mask when out in public. While hotly debated in some places, wearing a mask out in public is the easiest way to prevent the spread of contagion. This is particularly important if employees are visiting places where sick people congregate such as the pharmacy or at a doctor’s office. Wearing a mask is also a good reminder to avoid touching the face while out in public, as the mouth, nose, and eyes are common entry points for viruses.
  4. Wear gloves when out in public. Many people know that door handles, grocery carts, and other surfaces touched by dozens if not hundreds of people each day are likely sources of germs. However, not many stop to consider the produce and products they touch while at grocery stores. Several people have likely handled those items and wearing disposable gloves can cut down on the spread of germs.

While employers can educate and train their employees on the best practices to stay healthy during the pandemic, it’s impossible to safeguard against every risk. In the event that employees fall ill, employers will need a simple solution to keep track of absences and leave requests from their remote workforce. Contact the experts at Actec to learn how our absence tracking mobile app can help your business.

How to Offer Superior First Notice of Loss Support

Posted on

July 6th, 2020

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When a customer first contacts their insurance provider to report an accident, theft, or other covered incident, they’re initiating first notice of loss (FNOL). Most insurance carriers know that FNOL is critical to securing customer satisfaction. However, insureds are often upset when they begin FNOL as they’ve just experienced a loss so their tolerance for mistakes or delays is low. Inefficient processes, clunky communication, and data intake errors will further upset them as well as lower customer approval and erode loyalty.

Thankfully, insurance providers can take the following steps to improve FNOL and customer satisfaction:

  1. Identify workflow bottlenecks. One of the most common customer complaints regarding their insurance company is a delay in claims processing. Whether the adjuster is missing critical information, the claim requires a specialized adjuster, or there are documentation errors, delays can derail customer satisfaction. Finding common headache sources during FNOL and rectifying them can keep customers happy.
  2. Provide options for FNOL. When an insured needs to report a loss, they don’t want to jump through several hoops to get to the right person. Providing several options for reporting FNOL allows insured customers to initiate FNOL when, where, and how they prefer. This means offering intake options via telephone, a web portal, text messaging, etc.
  3. Engage with customers digitally. Even with optimized claim intake processes, insurers may require more information than they captured during FNOL. Sending missing information alerts via text messaging allows customers to provide the information quickly and keeps the claim on track. Digital channels of communication such as chat support improve transparency as well as customers can receive updates on their claim status, settlements, and more.

Implementing chat and text functionality is of particular benefit to insurance carriers. It creates a new channel for claims intake while providing superior service to insured customers experiencing a loss. Chat support can also answer common questions regarding claims, which allows insurance adjusters to focus on processing claims faster.

If your FNOL process is creating more headaches than its solving, Actec can help. Contact us to learn more about enhancing FNOL, implementing new communication channels, and improving claims management.